Chapter 51 - They Are Still There

The classes were finally over. Everyone was rushing out of the class as the bell rang. I was still thinking of whether trying to make her say what she couldn't at lunchtime would affect my progress with her somehow, or in some way. From what I see, I can safely assume she was about to flirt back, but the damn bell interrupted us.

I slang my bag on my shoulder and walked out of the class. The corridor was unexpectedly crowded today. I started walking towards the stairs when I glimpsed Yasurouka walking in front of me. I could tell that it was her by the frequent movement of her hair as walked.

She was quite ahead of me, so I increased my pace. My gazes were still focused on her as I was walking through the crowd. Suddenly, I saw someone in my peripheral vision but it was way too cramped for me to apply brakes since I was walking quite quickly.

I slammed into them and as a reflex; I caught them by their arms as my momentum threw them off balance. To be more specific, I caught her by her biceps as her other side was hanging in midair and her hair was still moving from the impact.

"Tsk!" I clicked my tongue.

"I'm really sorry." I heard a polite voice apologise to me.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't noticing where I was going." I said, as this was my fault.

"Areh, it's okay." Tomose said as she again stood on her feet and adjusted her bag on her right shoulder as it was slipping down a few moments ago.

"Oi, Saki-san, where are you?" I heard a familiar voice calling out Tomose's name. The voice came closer as I noticed Kana walking towards us.

"Tom… Ah you're with Sakamaki-kun." She changed her sentence as she noticed my presence. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Ay, long time no see huh?" She addressed me in her usual cheerful vibe. I can tell why she is so popular among others.

"Yo" I raised my right hand and waved at her.

"Your responses are as dead as always." She shook her head from left to right in disappointment.

"We're talking after so many days and you reply to me with a lame Yo?" She sighed.

"Well, I couldn't think of any better way to greet you guys." I said with an awkward laugh.

"Yeah, Sais…" Tomose took a slight pause and flinched weirdly. It was as if she imagined something which she shouldn't have. "Sakamaki-kun, how are you, by the way?" She continued in her normally polite tone.

Did she just try to call me by my first name? But why would she? I thought her memories were sealed. Did it leak out? But is that even possible? Or maybe this was one of those moments where a faint glimpse of the memory that was altered overlapped with the original one.

"You here?" Kana, snapping her fingers, broke me out of my thoughts and I looked at her as she was staring at me.

"Yeah, of course. I was just thinking about something." I said.

I noticed Kana's eyes were fixated on me. I subtly looked at her and followed her gaze. Our eyes met for a slight instant as she was looking at my face.

"I noticed something. Where are your specs?" She asked me.

"Arehhh, that's why I felt weird when I saw him after so many days too." Tomose added.

"Umm… I don't actually need them. I can see fine." I said.

"I thought you were practically blind without them." Kana said. I noticed her stretching her left arm with her index and little finger out. As she was about to open her mouth and say the words, I showed her my palm as a gesture to stop.

"Don't-" I said in a pissed off tone. Kana withdrew her hand and smiled awkwardly at me.

"What's with that tone?" Tomose said.

"Ever since I stopped wearing specs, everyone will try to check if I can see without them or not. Like of course I can see without them. How the hell did I spend the entire day at school otherwise!?"

"Oh my god, Sakamaki ranting about spectacles. Should've recorded this." Kana said while laughing. Tomose was also laughing, even though she was trying her best not to go all out like Kana.

"Hey, Saki, isn't he looking cute without his spectacles, though?" Kana asked her, while glancing at me with a cheeky smile. How typical of her.

Well, I used to wear my spectacles when I first met them and actually continued wearing them till the last day I was with them. So it was an alien view for them to see me without my spectacles.

"Umm… I don't know… Maybe." She answered it vaguely. Well, it's understandable since from her perspective, I'm still a normal classmate for her. And the question Kana asked was an unfair one for her at this point in time.

If it was back when we were dating, then she would have agreed with Kana. Tomose's reaction was also really plain. Kana was as energetic as usual,l and kept trying to tease her.

"Ahh, we should again go on a plan like we did… wait, did we ever go out together?" Kana stopped in her tracks as she was about to say something. I knew which event she was referring to. Kana looked at me and blinked, as she was confused.

"What are you talking about, Kana-san?" Tomose tilted her head.

"Exactly, even I don't know." She looked at her with narrow eyes. Her memories were in conflict, so her reaction was understandable.

"Sakamaki did we ever go out?" She asked me.

"Ohh, no I never had a chance with you." 

"Bruh, I meant to go out for a trip." She face palmed herself.

"Oh, my bad. I remember that we once met coincidentally on our way to the supermarket."

"Ahhh, yeah I remember that too." Her face lit up as she I can tell that she could recall that memory properly.

"As far as I know, that's the only time we went out together." I said. Since both of them were having trouble recalling their memories, and talking with them might trigger an inactive memory of them, I decided to cease the conversation at that point.

"Well, maybe we should plan to go out for a trip sometime in the future." Tomose said after being quiet for a long time. Kana seemed to welcome this idea as she patted her on the shoulder.

"But, I don't think that he will come. He is an introvert." Kana said in a dejected tone while pointing over at me. Why does the way she says this make me sound like a party pooper? I mean, I was indeed one.

"You're absolutely right about that… ahh, anyway, see you later, guys." I waved to them and started walking again. So from this brief exchange of words, I can tell that they were friendly with me, but not as much as before. Even so, the level of friendliness they showed was more than what I expected it to be.